The Sands of Time
by lacestars
Summary: AU. Hephaestus' latest project is stolen - a time turner. It is up to Camp Half-blood's newest demigods to get it back before their enemies can rewind back time and destroy the Gods.
1. Athena's Secret

"What will you do with her?" The man's voice shook, his dark eyes full of sorrow as he looked down at the bundle in his arms. The child stretched her arm, her pale skin luminous in the darkness.

"That is not for you to know, Daniel. You must take care of this child and forget about the other. Never speak a word of anything that might harm her. The day will come when she is brought into my world and she must harness the powers she has… But until then, you must protect her and shield her from that," Athena spoke without wavering, her grey eyes held his own. The mortal could see that behind all those words, she was simply asking for him to love their daughter like he had loved her. "There is no knowing how much power they would have if they were together, that is why we must separate them," and with that, Athena looked down at the own bundle in her arms. It was amazing how identical the twins looked. They both had the same tufts of dark chocolate hair atop their heads, the same dark brooding eyes and though they were no more than a few hours, Athena could see their souls working those coal eyes. She wondered if they were old spirits who had decided to try again at life – aiming for their place on the Isle of the Blest.

"You have one daughter, Daniel. From now on, this child in my arms never existed. You only ever had your daughter and yourself. You will never look for the other child. You will raise your daughter strong and right and make sure that she is taken care of. And Daniel?"

"Yes, my love?"

"Don't ever tell her who her mother is. She will find that out when the time is right. Now go, walk away and never speak of this again."

Athena watched as the man's eyes flickered towards her bundle, the child reaching out for her sister, their hands nearly touching before he spun on his heels and disappeared into the weatherboard house behind him. Athena glanced down at the baby, her hand lightly brushing over the child's forehead, her thumb running over her cheek. "Now, we must find out a home, little one. Before the Gods figure out what I have done," her boots tapped upon the floor as she began her way down the footpath, her body shimmering in the night before vanishing completely.


	2. Going Home

I had been walking for days. Honestly, if you had asked me when the last time I'd taken a break was, I would have said eight years. That was the long answer, I guess. The short answer? About a day ago; I'd been hiding out in a little alleyway, just on the outskirts of New York City, it was the first time that I'd been able to lie down and catch my breath. It lasted about an hour before I could smell a monster approaching and once I saw it, I knew I was in trouble.

"You will not escape me, Koa Lawrence. You did not choose the wisest place to rest," the empusa stepped forward. I'd seen a couple of these during my years, usually they stayed away from females – only interested in the blood of men but this one seemed to be batting for the other team. Glancing down beneath the folds of her black skirt, I noticed the tinted bronze leg and that of a donkey hoof. She saw where my eyes wandered and grinned. "Who needs jewels when you've got these?"

"Um, lady, I wouldn't be proud of that ass' foot. That's horribly disgusting. And may I ask, how the hell do you fit into heels with that thing?" My tone turned proper at the last question, mocking her. She sneered, stepping forward, the hoof making a metallic sound as it hit the ground. "Can we just get this over and done with? Your monster stench is killing me…"

The empusa gasped, her eyes glowing red with fury as she glared at me. "I wouldn't talk, half-blood. I smelt you a mile away and honestly, it took all my strength not to throw up."

"Oh, boo hoo. I'm sorry I haven't been able to take a proper shower in a month because you and your stinky ass friends are hunting me down like I'm your next meal," I brushed a strand of my hair from my face, my other hand slowly making its way to my back pocket where, thankfully, I had stored my dagger. Celestial bronze and lethal to monsters. I had picked it up when I first left home and to my surprise, it had killed the first monster that I faced. After that, I tried other weapons but found that none turned the monsters to dust like my own blade. It was only when I came across one monster who admired my blade and identified it as celestial bronze that I truly understood why it was the only weapon that had any effect.

"Where are your friends? I smell other demi-god scum close by. How did you make acquaintances so fast, my dear?" I frowned at the empusa's words but pushed them to the back of my mind, focusing on the task ahead. Without anymore thinking, I grabbed my dagger, pulling it out and charging at the demon before me. She cackled menacingly, her teeth grew a couple inches, her flaming red hair growing wild as I approached her. She tried to snatch at me with her razor nails, I dived beneath her arm, turning around as she growled with annoyance, lifting my dagger to sink into her back and through her heart. However, I never got the chance. Right where I had planned to stab the empusa, an arrow appeared, plummeting into her pale skin and falling to the ground in a heap of dust. My eyebrows furrowed, I studied the pile, scowling at the bronze foot that had been left behind.

"That's pretty gross," came a voice behind me, a chuckle. I spun on my heels, my dagger raised, prepared for another attack. What I found was a boy – or a man, I couldn't really determine in the darkness of the alley – with dark olive skin, shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes. "Slow down there, princess. I just saved your life. And I think that is a point for me. Not that it matters, you're always ahead, aren't you Evie?" He laughed again, throwing his bow over his back, his orange shirt bright under his leather jacket.

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah, you're excused. Enough of this joking around, Chiron wants us back at camp before sunset. And I think he will want to know about your little run in here," he spoke so quickly I didn't have time to react when he pulled me towards the street. I'd been travelling for years without any companions and this guy just happened to bump into me and save me from having to slay my own monster? I wondered whether I should just go with it. The question was answered for me because before I could even contemplate arguing and walking away, I was pulled into a school van and we were driving away. Not that I hadn't seen weirder things but it struck me slightly odd that this might not be an ordinary school bus. The driver was a burly man with eyes blinking all over his skin, their iris' watching the road, the door of the bus, the kids on the bus and pretty much any other direction imaginable. The other thing was the kids – not only were they all wearing the same bright orange top that the mystery boy was wearing (which wouldn't have been that weird) but they all carried their own individual weapons. I saw one kid with a sword the size of my right leg, another had a bow like the boy's and one kid even had a spear, its tip hanging out the window as it was too long to fit in the bus.

"Uh… Where exactly are we going?" I whispered, glancing out the window at the changing landscape. The city had now disappeared, replaced by trees and greenery.

"We're going home. Camp Half-blood."


	3. Another Me

Chapter Three

You know that feeling you get when you go down a steep hill really fast on a bike; that flipping of your stomach and the forgetting of your mind? The minute we stepped over the threshold to Camp Half-blood, that is what I felt. I didn't exactly understand what it meant and when my saviour looked at me strangely and asked what was wrong, all I could do was shake my head. He had called this home and by the way the campers moved with ease on the grounds, I didn't doubt that this was their home. But to me, it seemed like a different world. On the bus, he had asked me what happened with the empusa that had attacked me and all I could do was say "she found me." And then he had said something that had completely taken my breath away.

"That's why we don't leave camp much. The barrier stops all those monsters… I'm surprised Chiron let us have this trip," and then he started going on about how the old ass is so strict but I had stopped listening. This camp was protected against monsters? I'd been running since I was eight years old and now I find out that there is a place that bars them? The thought made me mentally scream. Where had I been when people were giving out flyers?

"Now that I think about it, I didn't know you were on the bus when we left camp. It was only when I saw you in that alley that I realised you had probably snuck on without Argus realising. We all know how sneaky you can be," the boy laughed and nudged my in the ribs with his elbow, waving at a couple other campers. The only thing that ran through my mind was he didn't see me on the bus because I hadn't been there but I didn't say a word. Curiosity took over as I began to wonder who he had mistaken me for. I had heard of people finding others that looked nearly identical to themselves. Maybe that was one of these moments.

"Let's go talk to the boss," I said, trying not to sound as though I was new. He smiled, his teeth white against his dark lips. Somehow, looking at that gorgeous smile, I felt like a traitor. He was so genuine and kind and trusting and I was some weird homeless kid just walking into his home. My heart ached as we began down the hill, towards a large, sky blue house. "So… We're going to see Chiron, right? The stubborn ass…" My voice was cautious as I looked down at my military boots.

"Remember not to say that around him, he'll have your head," the boy smirked and something glinted in the corner of my eye. As I turned, I caught the sight of two campers in combat, their swords shining in the sunlight. And I wondered whether the boy was joking or not.

We were only meters away from the house when a man in a wheelchair rolled out the front door, his thinning brown hair combed to each side of his head. His eyes wandered in our direction, widening as they landed on me. He looked over his shoulder at the door he had just passed through, furrowing his bushy eyebrows before glancing back at me.

"Weren't you just inside?" He called out to me, mumbling something under his breath.

The boy turned and looked at me with confusion. And just as we stopped in front of the house, Chiron still frowning, the door opened and out from behind it stepped me.

Or somebody that looked exactly like me.


	4. Stories Told

I watched her face process what she saw before her and wondered whether my reaction looked exactly the same. It was like looking in a mirror, right down to the beauty spot on our left cheek. She had a different sense of clothing style to mine but considering she hadn't been on the run from blood thirsty monsters for eight years, that seemed acceptable. Her lips opened slightly, trying to find words. I spoke first.

"You're her," I said allowed, my eyes not moving away from her even though I sensed the people around us beginning to ask questions.

"I'm who? Because I don't know who the hell you are. Chiron, is it possible for monsters to change shape?" Even though she asked the question, she didn't break our connection, her dark brown eyes burning with curiosity. I heard the handicapped man mumble something about the barrier and how I wouldn't have been able to get through. And that is when he realised that our confrontation was out in the open and other campers were beginning to notice the tension. He ushered us inside and we all followed, the mystery boy behind me as though he were afraid I would run. Minutes ago, we'd practically be friends and now I was back to being a stranger.

"Maybe you should start with your name… And possibly an explanation?' He said as we sat down at a ping pong table – which seemed a little odd to me but everybody else acted as though it were a normal occurrence.

"I don't know what is happening either," I glanced over at my mirror image as she watched me, hesitance flickering in her eyes. "My name is Koa Lawrence. I was born in San Francisco and I'm sixteen years old. I was adopted when I was a baby – which I guess would explain why I magically have a twin sister I never knew about. When I was eight years old, my parents were murdered by something…" My voice broke slightly at the last word. All I could hear was my mother's screams.

"You mean it was a monster?" came a voice - the boy's.

"I don't know. I was young and I only saw the aftermath of it. I ran into the room where it happened and my mother… she was still alive. She pleaded for me to sit beside her in her last moments and the last word she said was 'run' and that's what I've been doing ever since."

"Until I found you in that alleyway and I rescued you," the boy's voice perked up a little as he realised what he had done, his tone slightly smug. I saw my sister shoot him a glare.

"I could have killed it, I've been doing it for eight years," I snapped, grabbing my dagger and holding it up. I heard Chiron groan under his breath, he turned as another man walked into the room, a couple cans of diet coke under his arms. He looked around the table, his Hawaiian shirt seemed slightly out of place but he didn't care. He looked at me for a second, his eyes trailing back to my sister.

"Athena's been a naughty little goddess, hasn't she?" He chuckled. "Chiron, you handle this. I've got more important things to attend to the demi-god drama," he mumbled and left the room. Athena? I had heard of her. Sometimes I'd take shelter in a library and I'd be drawn to the Greek history aisle and sometimes even the war history books. Athena, the Goddess of Battle and Strategy. But what did she have to do with anything?

"That guy really needs some wine," mumbled the boy beside me and the others snorted a little – even Chiron.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about and now that you've heard my story, I'd like to hear yours," I shot my words at the girl across from me, her eyes wide at my hostility.

"I'm sorry you had such a bad life, Koa. But you can't blame this on me. I didn't choose for you to be adopted or your parents murdered. You can hear my story and then, you have the right to judge. My name is Aria Cassidy. I was born right here in New York and I've lived with my… our father my entire life. His name is Daniel and he's probably one of the best fathers you could ask for, especially since he raised me himself. When I was thirteen, a satyr tracked me down and brought me back to Camp Half-blood and I have been coming here every summer since. I was claimed by Athena and I guess, you are her daughter as well."

She took a deep sigh after speaking, her eyes furrowed as she tried to relate the two stories together. Chiron cleared his throat and shook his head.

"This could be a big coincidence. Until Koa is claimed, we cannot be sure that you two are both daughters of Athena. Until she is claimed, she shall stay in the Hermes with the others." My mind whirled as I tried to process the information, still unsure of what this camp was or where monsters fit into the equation.

"Claimed? Athena? I'm really lost. I might have been running from monsters all these years but they were the only communication I really had with the world. I never stayed in one place for very long and I tried steering clear of humans. So sorry if this seems a little rude but what the hell are you on about?"

My sister – Aria – laughed and shook her head and I wasn't sure if it was a genuine one or nervous, her voice seemed to quiver as it left her lips. "Athena, the Greek Goddess of War and Strategy, Reason and Wisdom. I guess we should start with the Greek Gods. They're all real and they're alive and they have kids – us. We are demigods, half-bloods. Offspring of Gods and we inherit their godly genes, I guess you could say. When we are claimed, it means our godly parent has claimed us, basically. At camp, it's something to be celebrated since there are a lot of demi-gods that aren't claimed. Athena claimed me and sorry Chiron, but I have no doubt that she will claim Koa as well," the girl sat back, brushing her brown hair behind her shoulder before turning to me. "I just don't understand why she would separate us. I mean, why would she make you have such a hard life and I have an easy one?"

"Oh thanks," I said sarcastically, my eyes rolling and stoping mid-roll as they landed on the boy who was watching us with an expression of pure enjoyment. I glared at him and turned to Chiron who was shaking his head and frowning. "What is it?"

"The Great Prophecy, it has started."


	5. The Great Prophecy

I saw Aria's eyes widen and wondered whether the "Great Prophecy" was a negative or a positive. By the look on Chiron's face, I'd guess bad but then I turned to the boy and he was smiling, as though it were exciting.

"Can we hear it?" Aria's voice was soft, a little more than a whisper. Even from across the table, I could feel her heart racing, her body getting weaker. A twin connection, I guess. She shuffled a little in her chair before turning to me, noticing that my attention was turned to her. "You don't know what you've walked into, Koa." Those were the words that got my heart pumping. Chiron cleared his throat, closed his eyes and began to recite the prophecy that he had memorised.

"_The daughters of the owl unified_

_Sands of time come untied_

_Four will go but three return_

_The beginning starts with death's burn_

_The daughters of the owl unified_

_Discover why Athena lied."_

We were all silent, even Chiron had become quiet. I processed what the man had said and wondered exactly what it all meant? Owls, death's burn, Athena's lies? I could feel the wrinkles crease across my forehead as I thought and saw the same lines indented on Aria's own head. Before anybody could speak again, Chiron began to explain further.

"You two are the daughters of the owl – Athena. Only recently, we've had some news about something that was stolen from Olympus, an invention that Hephaestus was working on – a time machine of sorts. I think that's what the sands of time is referring to. Death's burn… I don't know."

"The Underworld," piped up the boy beside me. Chiron nodded his head enthusiastically and then began to mumble under his breath.

"And then we will know why Athena separated you two at birth."

Aria got to her feet, shaking her head vigorously. "No, this can't be happening, Chiron. I've been here for three years and there were only ever small quests. Sure, everybody heard about the Great Prophecies but… but we never believed they would happen. And now you're expecting me to fulfil one? I should be happy but all I can think about is Lucy coming back from the last quest and telling us a Cyclops attacked and Richie was dead," Aria burst into tears and immediately, the boy got to his feet and ran to her aid. Guess I wasn't the only person he rescued.

He ushered her out of the room, rubbing her back, flicking a quick glance at me before they disappeared from sight. Chiron's eyes were deep and melancholy as he turned to me.

"Aria was very close with a boy from Ares, Richie. He went on a quest a few months ago and he never returned, some unusual outburst from a rogue Cyclops. She didn't take it very well and she only recently started moving forward and I guess this is a step back to square one," his voice was rough as he spoke and I could tell that the conversation was ending. "Maybe you should take a look around the camp while Finn helps Aria," he motioned his hand as if for me to leave and I took that as my cue.

On the veranda of the house, I gazed out at the camp and its swarm of campers. This was my sister's home and maybe, just maybe, it could be mine.

**ooc: I imagine] Koa/Aria look like Lily Collins (The movie Abduction is a good reference). Just so you guys have a little image.**


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